Une bordée de neige (in French)
A heavy snowfall, une bordée de neige, is not uncommon in Quebec winters, but did you know that the word “bordée” comes from naval vocabulary?
In fact, “bordée” is a naval term used as early as the sixteenth century to describe all the cannons lined up on the side of a ship and being fired at the same time. It’s not hard to imagine that this burst of sound was perceived as a storm!
A metaphorical usage came into usage to describe a large quantity of rain or hail, as the meteorological phenomenon was compared to cannons discharging loudly and suddenly. It should be noted that, at the time, a “bordée” could refer to any type of precipitation.
In Canada, newcomers mostly used the term to refer to heavy snowfalls, which must have come as a surprise to many, and so much so that today, this is how it’s most widely used.